Karl
Friedrich Benz (25 November 1844 - 4 April 1929) invents the world's
first car. Like most guys he tinkers with it endlessly and never actually
takes it for a useful ride. Early one morning his wife makes history
by loading up the kids in the contraption and driving clear to the next
town! That never dawned on Karl. The world's first car had three wheels,
a rear differential, a 1 cylinder, 0.4l engine making 1hp at 700 RPM
with a top speed of 10 MPH. This first car also was a two seat roadster,
just like the SL500 120 years later in 2005.

1886

26
January 1886 Karl Benz is issued the patent for his car. The motorcycle
and motorboat had been invented earlier. Of course the world's first
car was topless. Hard tops didn't come along until decades later. For
the next 50 years the cars went from one to two to four cylinders and
supercharging was added at least as far back as the 1920s. All these
cars were convertibles and convertibles only.

1893

Benz
invents the world's first four-wheeled car, the Victoria. He also gets
a patent on his brilliant idea which made two-front-wheel steering possible.

1894

The
world's first production car is the Benz Velo.

1895

Benz
invents the world's first truck.

1899-1900

Street
racer Emil Jellinek (1853-1918) wins a race against street racers either
Wilhelm Maybach or Gottlieb Daimler (I forget). Gottlieb Daimler (17
March 1834 - 6 March 1900) also helped make the gasoline engine practical
and invented the carburetor. Emil's prize was getting to name the next
car made by Daimler. In this case it was named after Emil's daughter,
Mercedes. What you may not know is that most of these creative pioneers,
like most creative people who imagine things no one has imagined before,
were crazy in the eyes of ordinary people. Thus Emil's daughter Mercedes
actually had 26 middle names, one for each letter of the alphabet.

In
those days and for the next four decades automobiles were the purvey
of playboys, even more so than owning a helicopter is today. These playboys
often wore disguises and used assumed names while out street racing
to avoid recognition. This is because they were usually very well known
in business and it would not have helped their professional images to
have been caught throwing up rooster tails racing around town.

Loads
of swell convertibles came out in the next 26 years, I'm just not covering
them all.

1909

"Blitzen
Benz" race car with a 21.5 litre, 4 cylinder, 200 HP engine sets
all sorts of world speed records, faster than any car, boat, train or
even aircraft. These records stand until the 1920s. It had close to
700 foot-pounds of torque, more more than any other car made even today.

1911

Invents
the first multivalve engine.

1921

Invents
the first supercharged engine.

1926

The
6.2l six cylinder supercharged Kompressor Mercedes 630 comes out with
140 hp at 3,000 RPM. As all great cars, the 630 only came as a convertible.

The
companies founded by Benz and Daimler merge to form Mercedes-Benz. The
company exists until 1999, when it changes its name after buying Chrysler.
Prior to this the two competed against each other. Ferdinand Porsche
is the chief engineer, coming over from Daimler. Even through the 1990s
Gottleib Daimler's signature is on a permanent white sticker on the
windshield of every Mercedes. Only around 2000 did Daimler's signature
come off to be replaced by "Mercedes" on the sticker.

1928

The
SSK 27 debuts with a 7.1l supercharged six with 225 hp at 3,000 RPM
and a top speed of about 120MPH. Of course it's a two seat convertible.

1929

The
first 8 cylinder 460 Nürburg has a 4.6l inline engine making 80
hp at 3,200 RPM. It's a dull sedan with a top speed of 60 MPH, whoo
hoo. It set a record of driving 12,500 miles at the Nürburgring
racetrack over 13 days.

1930

Introduction
of the 770 Grosser with a 7.6l 8 cylinder engine. It was made through
1938 and weighed over 6,000 pounds.

1931

Invents
independent suspension.

1934

The
500K (W34), a blown 5.0l straight-8 convertible made 160 hp at 3,400
RPM. Mercedes made 760 of them. It was a brand new style introduced
in 1934 at Berlin Motor Show and weighed about 4,500 pounds.

1936

The
Mercedes 540K is introduced. It's a two seat convertible with a 5.4l
straight-8 engine and a Kompressor (blower) with 180 hp at 3,400 RPM
and takes the 4,000 pound car to over 100MPH. Only 319 were made and
it, like the 1990s SLs, cost the same as a house. Mercedes also invents
the world's first Diesel car.

A
1939 Grosser Mercedes 770K was Hitler's parade car. It used to be
on display at a casino in Las Vegas and today I think it's at a
museum in Danville, CA. It had 2" thick bomb proof windows
and armor plating. By comparison, Al Capone's 1930 V-16 Cadillac
at the same casino museum only had 1/2" thick
bullet proof windows. I'm unsure if the two ever raced against each
other. The 770K was made from 1938 - 1940 and weighed 8,000 pounds
with a blown 7.6l straight 8. Of course bonehead Hitler's ideas
for annexing Europe ultimately halted car production at Mercedes
for the next decade. Nice going, goofball, and it beats me why anyone
would armor a convertible.

1950s:
1954 - 1962 300SL and 190SL (W198 and W121)

Mercedes
invents the crumple zone in 1951. All cars today use this, which means
that in a crash the trunk and hood squish first and the passenger compartment
gets crushed last, if at all. Mercedes also invents fuel injection in
1954, also used in all modern cars.

The
SL name started as the 300SL (W198) in 1954. It was based on the 300SL
race car which had gull wing doors to satisfy the race requirements
to have functional doors. Since it had a tubular frame the doors had
to open up, instead of out. It had a straight six. Beats me why people
trace modern SL history back to this car, since it was a hard top and
the SLs have far more in common with other earlier cars.

A
guy in NY thought the 300SL was such a great car that he convinced Mercedes
to make a production convertible version for him to sell. The 300SL
was made until 1963. They were not popular and only built about 1,800
of them. Its 3.0l straight six made 215hp at 5,800 RPM. It was the world's
first production car with fuel injection. I see claims of up to 150MPH
top speeds for the production version, but I doubt this with only 215
hp and questionable drag coefficient for the convertible. It weighed
about 2,800 pounds.

The
less expensive 190SL (W121) was introduced in 1955. It had a 1.9 liter
4 cylinder with 105 hp at 5,700 RPM and went a little over 100MPH. It
weighed about 2,500 pounds. It also was built until 1963, and 26,000
were made.

1960s:
1963 - 1970 230SL, 250SL, 280SL (W113)

The
all new 230SL (W113 nicknamed "Pagoda") was introduced
in 1963 to replace the 190SL. It's 2.3l six cylinder made 150 hp
at 5,500 RPM with a top speed of 125 MPH. It was the first to have
a removable hard top, a concept continued through the 2002 SL series.

The
similar 250SL came along in 1967, and the 280SL in 1968.

1971
Mercedes SL280

49,000
were made through 1972. Most had about 150 HP and weighed 2,900 pounds.

Also
around 1971 there was a convertible version of the 280SE 4-seater with
a 3.5l 8-cylinder with 200 hp at 5,800 RPM and a top speed of 130 MPH.

1970s
and 1980s: 1972 - 1986 280SL, 380SL, 450SL, 560SL (R107)

Mercedes
patents the air bag in 1971.

Introduced
in 1971, Mercedes made the new R107 SL for 20 years. The R107 was designed
to meet many future years of crash safety regulations, was built like
a tank and weighed a ton, actually, 1 - 3/4 tons. It was the strongest
convertible ever made, before the even stronger R129 SL of the 1990s.An
icon, you can see it on the cover art of the 1984 film "Beverly
Hills Cop." (I don't recall seeing the car in the film.)

Mercedes
made 237,000 of the R107 through 1989. I
once drove a 1982 280SL. It was OK, but not a fast car as the V8s
are.The
450SL had an advanced aluminum SOHC fuel injected V8 and a primitive
3 speed automatic. It had 4 wheel disc brakes.

The
last one was the 560SL. I almost bought one until I got to go for
a real test drive and realized it handled just like my mom's 1967
station wagon: big, torquey V8 engine, huge steering wheel and floppy
suspension.

Mercedes'
2006 full line brochure includes a two-page spread of a 1985 560
SL. These true SLs are more significant than many of the 2006 models.

2003
- 2006 SL500, SL55, SL600, SL65 (R230) The
current 2003 - 2006 SL500 has the same lower-output, three-valve
engine as the 1999 - 2002 model and otherwise is a completely different
car. The latest SL500 has most body panels made of aluminum and a
metal folding roof which collapses into and takes up some room in
the trunk. Thank goodness the 2006 S-Klasse sedan again uses
the original quad-can, four-valve engine design for
even more power and torque; hopefully these will make it into the
SL500 soon.

There's
a well- written comparison of this latest SL500 to the Porsche 911,
a Lexus and the Jaguar XKR convertibles here.

The
experts write that the newest SL500 is a great car and I agree.
They also have issue, as I do, with the low quality materials used,
unlike the real Mercedes of years past. The newest SL feels more
like a Dodge in terms of materials, appearance, fit and finish.
Not that's that's bad, since new Dodges also tend to have better
reliability than Mercedes these past few years, at least if you
believe word-of-mouth and Consumer Reports April 2004 and April
2005 editions. More later at "The End of
Mercedes."

Consumer
Reports' April 2005 issue has some interesting things to say
on the latest SL. Interestingly it rates among the very highest
of vehicles for satisfaction. (See page 10, April 2005.) More new
SL owners said they'd definitely buy another one than the owners
of almost any other vehicle. Turn to page 18 and you'll see the new
SL is also one of the absolutely least reliable cars made. It's
specifically called out in the table of least reliable cars. Again
on page 81 the 2003 SL is specifically called out as a used car to
avoid. To
go on, the trunk lid, which feels like a bank vault on the
1990 - 2002 SL500, is wobbly, worthless and weak on the 2003
- present SL500. On the other hand, there's a lot of aluminum in
the latest SL500: the roof, hood, trunk lid, both doors and all four
quarter-panels, which is pretty much the whole exterior.

The
trunk on the newest SL disappears because the metal top collapses
into it. The latest SL500 has no soft top and the hard top is
no longer removable as it was for the past few decades. With
the newest SL you're forced to take your hard top everywhere with
you in your trunk instead of being able to leave it in your garage.

The
gauges have been destyled making them less legible and more
showy. There are fewer gauges in the 2003 - on SL500 since cost reductions
have marginalized these functions into part of a completely incomprehensible
menu system. I have never been able to figure out the menu system
on the current Mercedes, and I've read the manuals and have an engineering
degree. Good luck not crashing just looking up something like outside
temperature which previous cars show all the time. The
gauges on a VW Rabbit Cabrio Convertible are far better
than those on the 2003 - 2006 SL.

Everyone
should order the "Keyless Go" option. With
this option you no longer have to pull out your key!
With Keyless Go the car knows your key
is with you, so all you have to do to unlock the door
is pull the handle, and all you have to do to start or
stop the engine is to press the button on the shifter.
Your keys stay safely in your pocket or purse. Brilliant,
and something I suggested to Mercedes in 1993!

If
the boss hands me the keys to a White/Java 2006 SL500 as a company
car you won't see me complaining, otherwise I'm sticking with my
1997.

SL55
AMG, SL600, SL65 AMG

The
very best news is that with the new SL body style Mercedes is offering
several insanely more fun versions other than the base SL500. There
are three other engine versions of the SL500 today, all of which
are unreal.

Only
in the most recent three model years has this crazy stuff
been out. For decades my SL500 and the conventionally aspirated SL600
V-12 made about the same power which I've already got. If anything
the power actually dropped in 1999 with the current three-valve engine
which is still used in today's SL500.

These
new crazy versions seem to be selling well out here, or at least
the badge kits. More good news is as you may know Mercedes bought
AMG some years ago and today the AMG cars are completely serviceable
at any dealer with lots of parts out there and designed not to blow
up. I've driven the AMGs on the racetrack and it's wild knowing
you can drive these everyday without a hiccup.

SL55
AMG

The
SL55 adds a blown V-8 for 516 ft-lbs
at 2,750 - 4,000 and 493 HP @ 6,100 RPM. It lists at $125,000 and is
rated at 4.5s 0 - 60.

The
blown V8 SL55 is from a totally different universe. I couldn't
wipe the smile off my face for a week after I drove one.

Hammer
on it in traffic and it's beyond anything: faster than a motorcycle
and worlds more torque. Other 300+ HP cars have been limited by the
rubber below 90 MPH so I had thought all the latest factory super
AMG cars were solely to impress the neighbors unless you get above
120 MPH and the traction control can finally turn off. The 350HP
AMG SLK32 I drove had the traction control trying to keep the wheels
from spinning at every legal speed.

The
SL55's traction control did its best when hammering it on a sharp
left turn from a side street; it unleashed all it could when it could
which was almost scary. Heaven forbid you're on a straight since
it keeps the 285mm wide tires from spinning and takes off more quickly
than I thought possible. My 1997 SL500 only has 225/55R16s which
are at the verge of liquefying throughout all of 1st gear. I was more
intrigued with the power of the SL55 AMG, however for the first few
minutes before it warmed up I noticed that it was a nice, tight small
feeling car unlike my 1997 SL.

The
new SL seats were perfect (my SL500 has fat-man seats) and even the
bun warmers worked great and warmed up your back and most importantly
sides, as opposed to mine which mostly heat up your bottom which
needs no heating. Anyway, I was very impressed.

Most
of these cars seen today are the base SL500 and probably many of
the fancier ones I see are re-badged. Beware counterfeit SL55s which
are just SL500s with the trunk badge and wheels changed. I had a
BMW dealer try to sell me one of the fakes.

The
real SL55 is insane!

SL600

The
1993 - 2002 SL600s are conventionally aspirated
48-valve V12s. As of 2003 the SL600s add twin turbos to the 12 cylinder,
36 valve engine for 590 ft-lbs of torque from 1,800 - 3,500 RPM and
493 HP at 5,000.

It
lists at $127,000 and weighs a little more than the SL55. It's also
rated at 4.5s 0-60.

SL55 versus SL600

The
SL600 (twin-turbo V12) and SL55 (blown V8) have identical power ratings
and almost identical price. God bless Mercedes for giving us the
choice! The SL600 has more torque, but with more weight and a turbo
instead of a blower.

Thus the difference isn't seen on spec sheets or in
race numbers.

The
difference is that the SL600 tends towards comfort while the SL55
is more brutal and racy. If you want a sports car for nimbleness
and deliberate driving get the SL55. If you want something comfier
get the SL600.

The
color and trim options differ between the two. The SL600 comes
in the more reasonable colors while the SL55 comes in the Darth Vader
colors favored by high school kids. I want White and Java
(tan), and the AMG for 2006 comes in White for the first time but
not yet Java for the inside. That leaves the SL600 for my color choice.

SL65
AMG

The
SL65 AMG has the same turbo V12 configuration of the SL600, however
it has more displacement and 738 ft-lbs from 2,000 - 4,000 RPM and
604 hp @ 5,500 RPM. Even
the SL55 is unlike anything I've ever driven. I'd be afraid of the
SL65 if it weren't for ESP keeping the wheels on the ground.

The
SL65 AMG lists at $180,000. It's kind of a silly car and the most
expensive in the line, so you'll see people buy them for no purpose
other than arbitrage
(buying to resell them at an immediate profit due to their perceived
scarcity.)

An
anecdote of Mercedes's inventiveness in the previous century:Taking
a wee break from the golf course, a famous american golfer was
on tour in Scotland where he wasn't well known. He drove a borrowed
1978 Mercedes 450SL into a gas station. An attendant greets him
with typical Scottish hospitality, unaware who the golf pro is:"Top
o' the mornin to ya."As
the golfer gets out of the car two tees fall out of his pocket."So
what are those things, laddie?" asks the attendant."They're
called tees," replies the golfer."And
what would ya be usin 'em for, now?" inquires the Scotsman."Well,
they're for resting my balls on when I drive," replies the
golf pro.